Back in 2010, Ryan and Adam Goldston were working out of a tiny office in southern California and trying to build a following for their upstart footwear brand Athletic Propulsion Labs, which launched just a year prior. Former college athletes—football and basketball—the twin brothers split their time at University of Southern California between playing sports and playing around with new ideas for shoe technology in their dorm room.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The setting was a far cry from the hyper-advanced research labs at sportswear juggernauts like Nike and Adidas, but it seems to have done the trick. Because 2010 was the year that APL's Load 'N Launch technology—which boosts the wearer's vertical leap—got the brand's Concept 1 basketball sneaker banned by the NBA for offering players an unfair competitive advantage.

The response was immediate and massive. "We sold nine months' worth of inventory in three days," says Adam. But he's also quick to point out how much time and effort went into the tech that catapulted his brand into the public eye: "It was the thing that put us on the map, but it was the culmination of about five and a half years of work."

Now, another five and a half years later, APL is launching a new basketball sneaker: the Blade (which you can see above). Aesthetically, it's an entirely different beast than the utilitarian Concept 1, with cleaner lines and a more fashion-forward vibe. It's also packed with new technology. "There are so many great things in this Blade basketball shoe that we just didn't have back in 2010, because the footwear industry has evolved so much and we've created so many more things," Adam explains.

There's the TechLoom knitted upper, which is reinforced to ensure it stands up to the rigors of the court. And the articulated overlays and ankle cutout, which help keep the foot stable while allowing for maximum range of motion. There is, however, something that hasn't changed: "The core Load 'N Launch technology remains the same because it performs so well," says Adam.

Of course, for those of us who don't play basketball, it really comes down to everyday wearability. No problem. "It's definitely a product that you can wear casually," Ryan tells us. "It's performance-focused, but from the materials to the mélange knit to the ankle cutout, it's something that translates to casual wear as well."

Ryan thinks of the new style as the footwear corollary of a high-performance sports car. "A Ferrari is an absolutely beautiful product," he says, "but 95 percent of people who buy one do it because it looks cool and represents something amazing. At the end of the day, though, they're performance machines and they can do amazing things that very few other cars can do."

So should you play basketball in these things or just wear them to brunch this weekend? According to the Ryan, you're fine either way: "With our products, you can perform at the highest level, but realistically, a lot of people buy them because they think they look fantastic and feel great." Brunch—or ball—accordingly.